The Impassioned Plea (Num. 12:11-13)

12/28/2008 10:03 PM

SPIRITUAL DIARY

My Worship Time                                      Focus:  The impassioned plea

Bible Reading & Meditation                   Reference:  Numbers 12:11-13

            Message of the verses:  “11  Then Aaron said to Moses, "Oh, my lord, I beg you, do not account this sin to us, in which we have acted foolishly and in which we have sinned.  12  "Oh, do not let her be like one dead, whose flesh is half eaten away when he comes from his mother’s womb!"  13  Moses cried out to the LORD, saying, "O God, heal her, I pray!’”    I do not want to in any way judge what went through the minds of Aaron and Miriam as to the sincerity of their confession to the Lord, but it does seem very genuine to me and I am sure that the leprosy had something to do with opening up their eyes to see the error of their ways.  Even though Aaron was Israel’s high priest he went to Moses to have him intercede on his and Miriam’s case before the Lord.

            I wish to do one more section from Dr. Wiersbe’s book on this SD.  The focus of this section is “The embarrassing delay and covers the rest of the verses in chapter twelve of Numbers.

            Message of the verses:  “14  But the LORD said to Moses, "If her father had but spit in her face, would she not bear her shame for seven days? Let her be shut up for seven days outside the camp, and afterward she may be received again."  15  So Miriam was shut up outside the camp for seven days, and the people did not move on until Miriam was received again.  16  Afterward, however, the people moved out from Hazeroth and camped in the wilderness of Paran.”          Both Aaron and Miriam were leaders in Israel and they both rebelled against the Lord and not the entire camp had to wait as Miriam was outside the camp for seven days, which was required by the Lord and was also in the Law, (Lev. 13:1-6; 14:1-8; 15:8).  The entire camp also knew why it was that they would be delayed as they would know about the sin that Aaron and Miriam had committed.        “The rebellious sinner is always a cause of holding back the progress of God’s people.”  (Dr. Wiersbe’s book, “Be Counted”)  When leaders sin the Lord tells us that they are to be disciplined in the presence of all:  “Those (elders) who continue in sin, rebuke in the presence of all, so that the rest also will be fearful of sinning.”

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  Sometimes when people are given a lot of responsibility they let it go to their head and do not follow what the Bible has to say and then they have to be disciplined, and this should be done in front of the entire church or al least in front of the ones offended.           I want to say how much I have learned about the relationship between God and Moses and as verse three of Numbers twelve reveals the humbleness of Moses I can see how much that was needed for him to have the kind of relationship that he had with the Lord.  I think of when Moses came back from heaven to meet with Jesus on the mountain before Jesus was to go to the cross and what a privilege that was for him to do and I believe that he will also come back to earth during the first three and a half years of the tribulation period to finish his ministry here on earth that he did not do.  Moses was a great man and to be humble was one of his best qualities, one that I pray I would be better at.

My Steps of Faith for Today:

1.         Not only learn contentment but humility too.

12/28/2008 10:29 PM